A coach driver has been hailed as a hero after stopping his bus plummeting down a ravine

The coach driver has been hailed as a hero by police after the group narrowly missed death when the brakes failed and they faced plummeting down a ravine.

The tourist bus overturned as the driver struggled to get it under control as it travelled down a narrow mountain road and came to rest just centimetres away from the edge of the ravine and its concrete buffers.

If not for his brave actions, the coach would have plunged down the steep barranco, one of the natural features of La Gomera which is increasingly becoming a holiday favourite with Brits.

Were you involved in the crash or know someone who was? Please get in touch: email mark.hodge@the-sun.co.uk or call +44 (0) 207 782 4398

Most of the terrified passengers escaped with cuts and bruises but one man was seriously injured.

He was identified as 70, but other reports said he was 89, he suffered a head injury and a broken arm.

Another woman, aged 67, hurt her back. Both are believed to be British.

They were taken to the Hospital Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe whilst the other bus occupants were ferried to a local health centre.

The accident happened at 10.40am today on the rough CV-13 mountain road in the Arguayoda area of the municipality of Alajeró.

One source said “several people” had been taken to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Hospital but no-one was available at the island hospital to confirm the exact number and their current condition.

The source said the British man who was the most seriously injured was “bleeding heavily from a head wound” and had possibly suffered a broken arm.